Casing spear



W. E. YOULE CASING SPEAR May 18 1926.

Filed Deal 18. 1924 2 Sheets-$heet 1 u t ml I l )Zw e;

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WILLIAM. E. YOULE, 035 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CASING srnan.

Application filed December 1 8 1824. Serial No. 756,675.

This invention relates to casing spears and particularly to casingspears of the type described in my Patent No. 1,377,301, which wasissued to me May 10, 1921. In this type of casing spear, the slips areguided on the body at their upper and lower ends respectively; a bowlguided on the body is capable of engaging the slips and may be actuatedby a spring to move the slips away from the casing after they have beendisengaged from it by a down jar. The general object of this inventionis to provide an im proved construction for a casing spear of this typealso to provide improved means for guiding the slips and forfacilitating their being attached to the casing spear body; also toprovide improved trigger means for holding the bowl away from the slipswhen the spear is being passed down the casing, and to provide aconstruction for the trigger ineanswhich will greatly facilitate thesetting of the bowl in engagement with the trigger. A further object ofthe invention is to improve the general construction of casing spears.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to bedescribed hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficientcasing spear.

' A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the followingspecification. while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out inthe appended claims.

. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a casing spear embodying my invention andshowing a short portion of easing within which the easing spear isrepresented; this view particularly illustrates the mode of operation ofthe slips in permitting the casing spear to pass a blister or projectionon the inner side of the wall of the casing.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the lower portion of the casingspear and illustrating the manner of use of a setting tool for settingthe bowl in engagement with the trigger means.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section upon an en larged scale, showing theportion of the casing spear which is contiguous to the trigger means,and also showing a portion of the casing, the parts being in therelation which they have when the slips are gripping the caslng.

Fig. 4 is a cross section upon an enlarged scale, taken on the line 4-4eof Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the casing spear, and particularlyillustrating the manner of attaching the slips to the casing spear body.r

Fig. 6 is a cross section upon an enlarged scale, taken on the line 6-6of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a cross section upon an enlarged scale, taken on the line 77of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the lower portion of one of the slips,illustrating a detail of its construction.

In practicing my invention, I provide a body having slipways, with slipsguided on the slipways having a collapsed position, and also having anexpanded 'position,in the latter they engage the wall of the casing. Ialso provide means mounted to move longitudinally of the body andcapable of engaging the slips. In the operation of the device, triggermeans mounted on the side of the body engages the last named means tohold the same away from the slips while the spear is passing downthecasing, the body of the spear and the slips are so con structed thatthey will cooperate upon an up jar of the body to move the slips intotheir expanded position, and this up jar also effects the release of thetrlgger means and permits the spring to cooperate wlth the I slipsthereafter, when a down ar occurs, to

move the slips away from the wall of the casing. i

I provide the body of the ,device with fixed interlocking means, andprovide slips with corresponding interlocking means per mitting theslips to be moved laterally onto the slipways when held at a certainelevation; after the slips have been moved onto the slipways if they aremoved up or down, the two interlocking meanscooperate to interlockthereafter and retain the slips on the body. V

In order to accomplish this, I provide a body 1 in the form of amandrel, the middle portion of which is provided with a plurality ofslipways 2 which in the present instance are four in number. Theseslipways preferably converge in an upward direction, and each or" thetour slipways is preferably of the stepped or interrupted type which wasdescribed in my patent referred to above.

On the body, above and below the slipways. I provide retaining means 3and t for the slips 2, which cooperate respectively with retainingtongues 5 which are of sul stantially uniform cross-section, and extendup from the upper ends of the slips, and similar retaining tongues 6which extend down from the lower ends of the slips,v the retaining means3 and t being in the form of collars formed on the body, and the. upperretaining means or collar 3 includes. dovetailed grooves 7 which receivethe tongues 5 loosely. that is. to say, they will guide the tongues butat the same. time they do not fit the tongues tightly, so that they willpermit a lateral movement of the lower ends of the slips when placingthem in position on their slipways (see Fig. 5)- The other retainingmeans t is similarly constructed. Either the upper tongues 5 or thelower tongues 6 are constructed so as to. permit them to he slidlaterally into place in their retaining grooves. I prefer, however, toprovide each lower tongue 6; with a reduced neck 8 (see Fig. 8) which isproduced by cutting away the bevelled face 9 of the tongue 011 eachside. In putting the slip in place, the upper tongue 5 is moved,longitudinally, that is, it is shoved up from below into the collar 3(see Fig. 5) until the. reduced neck 8 comes opposite to the slot orgroove 10 in the lower retaining collar a, whereupon the slip will beswung inwardly so as to bring it to the bottom of the groove. 10. Bypermitting the slip to descend a slight distance,.the reduced neck 8will bemoved slightly out of alignment with the groove 10,, and thegroove will then operate to retain the lower end of the slip.

In the normal position of the parts, the lower ends of the slips aresupported on a bowl preferably in the form of a collar 11 (see Fig. 5).This collar is engaged by the lower ends of the tongues 6 and supportsall the slips in position. lVhen the slips are in engagement with thecollar in this way, the necks S will be out o l alignment with theretaining collar d, and hence the slips cannot fall out.

Vhen the casing spear is passing down the casing 12 (see Fig. 1) theteeth 13 on the outer faces of the slips 2 will drag on the inner wallof the casing 12 and if a projection or blister 14 should be encountered(see Fig. 1) the slip which it strikes will drag further up, which willmove the slip in wardly somewhat and permit it to pass the blister.lVhen a casing spear is passing down in this way, the drag of the casingon the slips will hold them slightly removed from the collar 11 or bowl(see Figs. 1 and 2).

In order to hold the bowl 11 in the set position, I provide triggermeans including a trigger 15 which is mounted on a pivot 16 in the slot17 in the side ot the body 1 so that the trigger can swing in and out ina substantially radial direction. This trigger is provided with ashoulder 18 which will engage with the inner edge 19 of the collar 11(see Figs. 2 and 3). The shoulder 18 is preferably slightly inclined andthe edge 15) has a slightly inclined face 20 to correspond with theinclination of the shoulder 18 in order that a slight resistance wouldbe oftc-red in swinging the trigger inwardly to disengage the collar. Inother words, the edge 19 ot' the collar inclines upwardly somewhat. Thebowl includes a nut 21 secured to the lower end of the body, and betweenthis nut and the moving collar 11 a spring is provided which exerts itsforce in a direction to move the collar 11 toward the slil The shoulder18 ot' the trigger 15, however, will prevent the collar from moving upwhen the casing spear has been set.

In the operation of the device. an up jar given to the body will operateto ellect the gripping of the casing by the slips, and the relativedownward movement of the slips which occurs with the up jar will resultin bringing the lower ends of the slips against the collar 11; thisholds the collar down as the body moves up in the up-jar movement andwill effect a disengagement oi the trigger 15 from the collar. is soonas this occurs, the spring will exert its force to hold the collar 11against the lower end: of the slips. but the slips will be very lirrnlf,wedged against the casing so that the spring will not have any eli'ectwhatever tending to loosen the slips.

After the slips have been gripped vith the casing in this way, thecasing spear may be operated to raise the casing or perform any other ofthe usual operations. lVhen it is desired to release the spear fro thecasing it is merely nect sary to give the casing spear a down jar. Thiswill slide the body downwardlg with respcrt to the slips which aregripping the side of the casing; and will substantially dise gage theslips from the casing, whereupon the spi' g 22, acting through thecollar ll. will force all the slips upwardly on their slipways and movethem further a ay from the wall of the casing. Furthermore. thesnri'gwil move the slips to such an elevati en that they will not gripthe casing again while the casing spear is being withdrawn from it. Inorder to insure that the trigger 13 will from the p: collar ll when tn uar has he w r ll hunt the trigger, l prcl'cr to provide the withdraw o'the Ill) lit)

trigger with a cam edge 24 which cooperates with a cam face 20 on thecollar 11.

In the up-jar, the relative movement of these cams throws the triggerinwardly. I also provide a leaf spring 23,,f(see Fig. 3) which thrustsagainst the bottom of the slot or recess 17 and holds the trigger in theposition shown in Fig. 3 as soon as it has been released.

In order to assist in the assembly of the parts, and particularly tofacilitate setting of the collar 11 in its proper operating position,and to guide it up along the trigger 15, I prefer to provide the lowerend of the trigger with a guide cam or nose 2t (see Fig. his nose willfacilitate bringing the collar into operative position and will alsofacilitate setting the trigger in engagement with the collar.

In order to set the collar and trigger, I prefer to employ a settingtool, such as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This tool comprises across head 25, the middle of which is centered on the lower ends of thenut 21 by means of a feed screw 26. Hook rods 27 carried by the crosshead have hooks on their ends engaging into inclined sockets'28 on theouter side of the collar 11. By rotating the handle bar 29 of the feedscrew it will be evident that the collar 11 can be drawn down and thespring 22 compressed.

The body 1 is constructed with means for rendering the trigger 15accessible to set it in engagement with the collar. This is preferablyaccomplished by simply providing the body 1 with a drilled hole 30 (seeFig. 6) which .enables an instrument such as a wire 30 to be insertedfrom the exterior to engage the inner edge of the trigger; in settingthe collar and trigger in engages ment, the operator of the casing spearshould keep the wire 30 pressed against the trigger so as to hold itsnose 2% in the path of the edge 19. In order to accomplish this I preferto provide means for limiting the outward movement of the trigger, andthis means is in the form of a nose 31 (see Fig. 3) which will engage apart of the device, for example, the inner side of the lower tongue 6.0fan adjacent slip 2 As the collar comes up, it will deflect the triggerand the edge 19 will eventually seat itself at the shoulder or notch-18.

' This casing spear may be attached to the usual tool string by means ofthe usual tapered pin 32 at the upper end of the spear. Animportantfeature of my invention is the correlated construction of theslips and body; these parts are provided with interlocking means whichpermit the slips to be 7 moved laterally onto the slipways when held ata certain elevation, but thereafter if the slips are moved up or down aninterlocking occurs which prevents dislodgment of the slips and insurestheir being properly guided in the slipways.

Attention is called to the fact that if a spear embodies my improvedslips, they may be attached or detached from the body withoutnecessitating the removal of any other part.

It will also be evidentthat when the spear is passing down the casing,even if the easing dragged any slip up' so that its reduced neck wasopposite the retaining collar 4, the slip could not become detachedbecause it would be held against outward movement by thecasing itself.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I donot wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in theclaims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

liat I claim is 1 1. In a casing spear, the combination of a body havingslipways converging in an upward direction, slips guided on the body andmounted to slide up or down on the slipways, a bowl in the form of acollar mounted to slide on the body below the slips and capable ofengaging the lower ends of the slips, a spring for forcing. the collarupwardly and toward the slips, a trigger movably mounted in the side ofthe body and having a shoulder on its outer edge operating to engage theinner edge of the collar operating to hold the collar away from theslips while the spear is passing down the casing, said body and saidslips cooperating upon an up jar of the body to effect the gripping ofthe casing by the slips, engage the collar with the slips, therebyreleasing the trigger, said slips and body cooperating thereafter upon adown jar of the body to release the slips and permit the spring to movethe slips upwardly and away from the casing, the lower end of saidtrigger having a nose with a cam edge to engage the inner edge of thecollar when the collar is moved upwardly to set the trigger with theshoulder and the edge of the collar in engagement.

7 2. In a casing spear, the combination of a body having slipwaysconverging in an to g slipways, ab-owl in the form of a collar' mountedto slide on the body below the slips and capable of engaging the lowerends of the slips, a spring for forcing the collar upwardly and towardthe slips, a trigger movably mounted in the side of the body and havinga shoulder on its outer edge operating to engage the inner edge of thecollar operating to hold the collar away from the slips while the spearis passing down the casing, said body and said slips cooperating upon anup jar of the body to effect the gripping of the casing by the slips,engage the collar with the slips, thereby releasing the trigger, saidslips and body cooperating thereafter upon a down jar of the body torelease the slips and permit the spring to move the slips upwardly andaway from the casing, the lower end of said trig; ger having a nose witha cam edge to engage the inner edge of the collar when the collar ismoved upwardly to set the trigger with the shoulder and the edge of thecollar in engagement, and a spring associated with the trigger towithdraw the same from the path of the collar when the up jar hasreleased the collar from the trigger.

3. In a casing spear, the combination of a body having slipwaysconverging in an upward direction. slips mounted to slide up or down onthe slipways, each of said slips having a retaining tongue at its upperend and a retaining tongue at its lower end, said body having retainingmeans constructed to receive the tongues at one end of the slips bymovement ot' the tongues longitudinally, and operating to hold the slipsso as to permit a limited lateral movement of the other end of the slipin setting the same by a lateral movement onto its slipway, the tongueat the said other end of each slip having a reduced neck, said bodyhaving retaining means which may align with said reduced necks topermiteach slip to be introduced by a lateral movement into the lastnamed retaining means, said last named retaining means operating toprevent outward lateral movement oi the slips after the same are inplace, a bowl in the form of a collar mounted to slide on the body belowthe slips and capable of engaging the slips, a trigger carried by thebody for engaging the collar to hold the same away from the slips whilethe spear is passing down the casing, a spring on the body to force thecollar toward the slips, said body and said slips cooperating upon an upjar to e'ti ect a gripping of the casing by the slips and simultaneouslyengage the collar with the slips to release the collar from the triggerand thereby permit the spring to hold the collar against the slips whilethey are gripping the casing, said slips and said body cooperatingthereafter upon the down jar of the body to release the slips from thecasing and thereby permit the spring and collar to force the sameupwardly and away from the casing.

l. In a casing spear, the combination of a body having slipwaysconverging in an upward direction. slips mounted to slide up, or down onthe slipways, each of said slips having a retainim tongue at its upperend and a retaining tongue at its lower end, said body having retainingmeans constructed to receive-the tongues at one end of the slits bymovement of the tongues longitudinally,

and operating to hold the slips so as to permita limited lateralmovement of the other end of the slip in setting the slip laterally ontoits slipway, retaining means adjacent the other end of the slip tocooperate with the other tongue of each slip, the said other tongue ofeach slip having a reduced neck which may be aligned with the last namedretaining means to permiteach slip to be moved laterally inwardly ontoits slipway, said slips having a normal position in which they restonthe collar with the re duced necks out of alignment with their correspondin retaining means.

5. In a casing spear, the combination of a body having slipwaysconverging in an upward direction. slips mounted to slide up or down onthe slip ays, each of said slips having a dovetailed retaining tongue atits upper end and a dovetailed retaining tongue at its lower end, saidbody having retaining means adjacent one end of the slips, including adovetailed groove correspondin to each adjacent retaining tongueconstructed to receive the tongue by a longitudinal movement, andoperating so as to permit a limited lateral movement of the other end ofthe slip in setting the same on its slipway, said body having retainingmeans adacent the other ends 01 the slips includin" a dovetailed groovecorresponding to its adjacentretaining tongue for guiding the slipsalong the slipways, the said tongues adjacent the last named retainingmeans having reduced necks enabling the slips to be moved laterally intoposition on to the slipways at that end, and means carried by the bodyfor moving the slips on the slipways.

tl. in a casing spear, the combination of a body having slipwaysconverging in an upward direction, slips mounted to slide up or down onthe slipuavs, each of said slips having a dovetailed retaining tongue atits upper end, said body having retaining means adjacent the saidtongues including dovetailed retaining grooves constructed to receivethe tongues by a longitudinal movement, and permitting a limited lateralmovement of the lower end of each slip in setting the same on slipway.each of said slips ha 'ing a dovetailed retaining tongue at its lowerend. id body ha retaining means adjacent l e lower tongues including adovetailed groove corresponding to each lower tongue to receive andguide the same, each lower tongue having a reduced neck ich may alignwith the last named retainnieairs to permit the slips to be moved laorally inwardly onto the other slipuays, a bowl on the body below theslips for normally supporting them in position with the reduced neclzsout of alignment with the lower retaining means. said body and slipscooperating in lowering the casing spear so loo that the casing dragsthe slips upwardly and out of contact with the bowl, a spring exertingits force to move the bowl toward the slips, and trigger meanscooperating with the bowl to hold the same down, and constructed torelease the bowl upon the up ar which effects the gripping of the slipsagainst the casing, said body and said slips cooperating upon a down jarthereafter to disengage the slips from the casing and permit the springand bowl to force the same upwardly and away from the casing.

7. In a casing spear, the combination of a body having slipwaysconverging in an upward direction, slips mounted to slide up or down onthe slipways, a bowl having a collar movably mounted on the bodyandcapable of engaging the slips, a spring for forcing the collar towardthe slips, a trigger mounted in the side of the body-and having ashoulder for engaging the collar to hold the same away from the slipswhen the casing spear is passing down the casing, said slips and saidbody cooperating upon an up jar of the body to effect the gripping ofthe casing by the slips and the release of the collar from the triggerto permit the spring to hold the collar against the slips thereafter, atrigger spring to move the trigger out of the path of the collar whenthe same is released, said slips and said body cooperating upon a downjar of the body to disengage the slips fronrthe casing, said first namedspring operating thereafter to move the slips upwardly and away from theeasing, said body having means for rendering the trigger accessible toan instrument to move the same outwardly and into the path of the:collar for resetting the trigger in engagement with the collar, saidtrigger having a nose operating to engage an adjacent part to limit theoutward movement of the trigger in setting the same in engagement withthe collar.

'8. In a casing spear, the combination of atbody having slipwaysconverging in an upward direction, slips mounted to slide up or down onthe slipways, a bowl having a collar movably mounted on the body andcapable of engaging the slips, a spring for forcing the collar towardthe slips, a trigger mounted in the side of the body and having ashoulder for engaging the collar to hold the same away from the slipswhen the easing spear is passing down the casin said slips and said bodycooperating upon an .up jar of the body to effect the gripping of thecasing by the slips and the release of the collar from the trigger topermit the spring to hold the collar against the slips thereafter, atrigger spring to move the trigpart to limit the outward movement of thetrigger in setting the same in engagement with the collar, the lower endof said trigger having a cam edge for guiding the collar up along thetrigger and into engagement with thesh'oulder when setting the triggerand collar in engagement.

9. A slip for a casing spear having a body portion with means on itsouter face for gripping the wallof the casing and having a guide tongueof substantially uniform cross-section extending from one end, and aguide tongue extending from its other end having a reduced neck tofacilitate its attachment to a casing spear body.

10. In a casing spear, the combination of a body, with slipways, slipson the slipways, fixed interlocking means on the body and interlockingmeans on the slips permitting the slips to be moved laterally onto theslipways when held at a certain elevation, said interlocking meanscooperating to interlock thereafter and retain the slips when moved upor down on the slipways. 1

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 11th day of December, 1924:.

WILLIAM E. YOULE.

